Lycanthropy Fever
by dyly
Summary: Fenrir/Harry: Harry gets lycanthropy poisoning in the summer after fifth year, but he’s not yet fully werewolf. When Death Eaters enter Hogwarts- Greyback sets his sights on an emotional exhausted Harry. And so the battle of gaining control of him begins.
1. Vénéneux Débuts

**A/n: Lycanthropy poisoning**: Is simply what Bill Weasley got in HBP. (Except, in my story, it's a little more…pronounced) Craving meat, shorter temper, perhaps claws and or canines, restlessness on the full moon…

**Summary**: Harry gets lycanthropy poisoning in the summer after his fifth year, but he's not yet fully werewolf. When Draco helps the Death Eaters in Hogwarts- Greyback sets his sights on an emotional exhausted Harry. And so the battle of gaining possession of his mate begins. Greyback will have to get through a protective Lupin to get his mate. And it doesn't help matters that Harry and Lupin are hiding away from the rest of the wizarding world. After Dumbledore's death, the wizarding world is in an uproar. Will Harry decide to save the world that was eager to dismiss him because of his werewolf blood? Or will he take the easy road and allow Greyback to protect him on Voldemort's side?

*~*

**Lycanthropy Fever**

**Dyly**

*~*

Her scream pierced his head and he hunched his shoulders in shame. The crimson liquid across her face was a noticeable reminder to him of what he had done. The blood and the claw marks… Harry backed away from her whimpering form. What had he done? He knew he should have stayed away from Hogwarts this year. Remus had even warned him. But the thought of not seeing his friends again made him second guess his decision. Add that to the fact Dumbledore wanted him close by with Voldemort on the loose...

His lips trembled as he crouched down next to the crying girl. It was Ginny Weasley. She was a fifteen year old girl, nothing more.

Fingers shook as they racked through his wild hair. This all started when he had taken Remus up on his offer to go to the man's shack this summer. Both Remus and Harry had been mourning the loss of Sirius. They needed to comfort each other and Dumbledore attentively agreed- with Order members stationed up around the house. Harry and Remus hadn't gotten very far in talking about Sirius, for Death Eaters had attacked. Luckily the Order members were near by and fought them off.

Unfortunately, Harry didn't get away unscratched. A wolf, the size of a small horse foal, had caught his arm with a sharp fang.

When they arrived in Grimmauld Place, after the battle, Remus had cleaned the wound with a worried expression on his face. Harry didn't think anything of the bite- considering it wasn't the full moon that night.

"_What's wrong, Remus?" Harry murmured, wincing as the ointment stung at the large gash on his forearm. The whole Order had made it out alright, no one was killed, and there were no casualties. To make the situation lighter, the wolf who bit him couldn't have been a werewolf, considering if wasn't a full moon tonight. But his old Professor's face was grim and pale as he cleaned the wound Harry had received from a giant black wolf. _

_Ron and Hermione were shooed out of the room by a stern and worried Molly Weasley. Harry held in his temper at seeing his friends together- they had never informed him they were staying here, in Sirius' house no less. "The bite is troublesome, Harry." _

"_But why?" He blinked, he remembered Professor Snape telling them third year that lycanthropy could only be transferred to one under the full moon. "It wasn't the full moon." Remus faltered in cleaning the wound and placed his face in his hands. The man's shoulders were shaking in dry heaves. And then it hit Harry- the man felt guilty. "Remus, it wasn't your fault. You could have never known the Death Eaters were going to attack." _

_His tired amber eyes looked up at Harry. "It is my fault, Harry. I wanted to meet with you…to get you ready for facing Sirius' house and his death. Merlin, I should have known they were going to attack." Before Harry could interrupt, Remus continued. "They were watching me…I was stupid for brining you there." _

_  
"Who was watching you?" Goose bumps rose on the back of his neck at the thought of someone watching Remus. _

"_Greyback and his werewolves," amber eyes drilled sadly into Harry. "Fenrir Greyback… he's one of the biggest figureheads for the underground werewolves. He was the one who turned me into a werewolf when I was just a mere child. Ever since he's been broken out of Azkaban, he's had his people watch my house. And now…it's my fault that a werewolf bit you. I should have _never _brought you there. It's my fault-," _

"_I…I'm a- a werewolf?" He felt hysterics clogging his throat. He couldn't be a werewolf. _

"_No," Remus looked dead as he reached out a hand and ran it down the length of Harry's cheek. "But you're personality will change, Harry. You will grow hungry for raw meat and you'll get agitated on nights of the full moon. It depends on how deeply the wolf that bit you is in his werewolf, but you may grow canines. If it were me who had bitten you tonight, Harry, you wouldn't need to worry about being too far gone." _

_Harry zoned out, looking blankly at Remus. "But I'm not a werewolf," he stated to himself. _

_A part of him felt guilty for acting so hysterical in front of Remus who was a werewolf himself. But Merlin, he would be growing fangs… _

And Remus had suggested that Harry should stay away from Hogwarts, at least for this year, to see how the lycanthropy poison affected him.

"Harry?" A voice sounded uncertain. Harry winced and curled in on himself farther. Despite Remus' reassurances that he wasn't a werewolf, Harry felt his whole being changing. It was just the end of his school year- he had almost made it the whole year without snapping. Ron and Hermione knew about his 'condition' and so had Snape. The potion's master, turned DADA professor, had treated him worse than ever. He made snide remarks about the moon about mutts about his parents… It made it difficult for Harry to keep his rage under control with that man around.

Harry tried not to let the lycanthropy poison get to him, but today, today was extremely bad. He didn't understand why, perhaps it was because Malfoy and Snape had been on him all day, or maybe it was because of the pressure with the Horcruxes... all he knew was he had to get away. He had run upstairs to the Gryffindor common room to hide away until Ginny Weasley got in the way. He cared for her deeply but she didn't stop _insisting_ Harry talk to her. The lycanthropy had heated his blood and controlled his actions. No latter, his hand grew claws as he slapped her across the face to get her to stop bothering him.

Seeing her sobbing on the floor and trying to scoot away from him, sent his shoulders shivering in self-hate. "What the bloody hell did you _do _to my sister?!" Ron screamed, his face turning red. Hermione ran up behind Ron and surveyed the situation. Her brown eyes widened at the sight of Ginny's torn face. "You bastard!" Ron pointed his wand directly in front of Harry's pained green eyes.

"Ron, no, don't do it. He couldn't control himself." Hermione laid an arm on Ron's shoulder to calm him.

Harry felt sick. His earlier anger was swept away and now pity and guilt ate at him. "I'm so sorry," Harry whimpered. "I'm so sorry…" he repeated, trying to plead with his best friend.

"Tell that to _her_!" Ron shouted hysterically, pointing at his sister. "She'll never be the same!"

Harry whimpered, shaking his head into the palms of his hands. By now, there were students crowding around, prying into business that weren't their own. Ron was cursing, his ears scarlet. He landed on his knees near his sister, stroking her hair and telling her everything would be ok. Harry couldn't look at the scene; it just made his stomach weak. Hermione was trying to talk to him, but Harry refused to lift his head.

He didn't know how long he sat there, ignoring everyone around him, but eventually, a soft touch to his shoulder shook him out of his daze. Lifting his head, he blinked up at the Headmaster. "Harry, my boy, come with me."

Looking around the corridor, he realized that everyone had tampered off. Ginny was no longer lying on the ground and the students were no longer gawking. "Headmaster," Harry started, frowning deeply. "I didn't mean to-,"

"Hush," the Headmaster soothed gently. "I know you didn't mean to. Come on, up you go." The old man helped him stand and put a hand on his shoulder. Harry relied on the wrinkled hand, feeling its heat through his clothes.

"What will happen, Headmaster?"

The old man frowned, his stare focused ahead. "I don't know, Harry."

*~*

And within the next day, the wizarding world knew about Harry Potter's 'condition'. Many of them believed he _was _a werewolf, not just a human with lycanthropy poison. Harry couldn't find it in his heart to correct them. Angry letters were sent to Dumbledore and the School Board of Governors. They claimed even the boy-who-lived shouldn't receive special treatment and that he should be expelled.

No one supported him.

The students all stayed away from him, eyeing him in distrust and fear. Harry kept his head down, relying on Hermione and Neville's presence by his side. Remus had owled him, telling him he would be there by tonight. And then…then he would take Harry away, at least until the incident lost heat.

Ron never said another thing against him, but he avoided him. Harry had tried to see Ginny in the hospital wing, but had been blocked by Madame Promfrey. He felt horrible. The hate inside himself grew, turning into self-loathing. He was a monster. What he did…it was unforgivable. He wasn't even a werewolf and _this _is how he acted? Remus was a werewolf and he acted down to earth, never raising a hand in anger. To a fifteen year old girl, nonetheless.

The Weasleys hadn't contacted him. Harry supposed it could have been worse; he could have received a Howler from them, telling him how angry they were… they were his second family…

Harry shook his head, slamming his trunk shut. As the lid went down, he locked eyes with blue. Ron was leaning against his bed, his arms crossed over his chest. "I hope you come back," Ron spoke coolly. "What happened, Harry-,"

"It was my fault, Ron." He shrugged, giving a bitter smile. "And I wish I could take it back. I'm sorry. I deserve at least this much, for what I did to her." His voice broke. "You know I cared about Ginny…" More than anything…

Ron remained quiet, swallowing heavily. "Her face is healing well. She insists that she doesn't need to be in the hospital wing any longer." Harry gave a small smile. "She doesn't blame you, she's just scared, I guess. Mum doesn't know what to do right now. When she realizes that Ginny is alright, she'll work on the Ministry and ask for you to return to Hogwarts." Harry frowned, looking down. His throat was contracting, wanting to cry, but nothing came out.

"I'm sor-,"

Before he could finish, the castle seemed to shake. The two looked at one another, frowning. "What was that?" Ron gaped. They blinked at one another and the sprinted out of the Gryffindor dorms. Harry felt his heart give a wild thump as they went out of the common room and into the corridor. Students were rushing toward them, faces pale with fright. "Oi, what's happening?" Ron shouted among the students.

"Death Eater attack," a frightened Gryffindor replied back.

Harry took no more time. He pushed himself through the crowd, intent to make his way to the Headmaster's office. He knew something like this would happen. Malfoy had been acting all out of sorts this year and he wouldn't doubt if this was _his _doing. Clutching his wand, Harry sprinted.

As he got closer to the Headmaster's office, he spotted Order members fighting a few Death Eaters. "Harry!" Remus hurriedly made his way through the crowd toward him. "Get back inside the Gryffin-," Harry ignored him and followed his instincts. He hurried down the steps, his feet moving in the same pace as his pulse. Dumbledore would be down here, he knew it.

Turning the corner, he faltered in his steps, his eyes looking across the corridor at the scene playing before him. Unaware to him, icy blue eyes shot in his direction as he hurried past the crouching figure.

Snape and Malfoy stood in front of a fallen Dumbledore and judging from the lack chest rise, Harry knew…

He whimpered, slowing down his run to a painfully slow shuffle. His mentor was dead. The man he considered his grandfather had fallen… the one Harry always thought would shine and stand above all after this war. Breathing heavily, he watched as Snape and Malfoy glanced in his direction and turned to run. _Cowards…_ Harry hissed; his grief turning into rage.

"Cowards!" Harry screamed, picking up his pace and sprinting after them. His wand was thrashing wildly in the air as he ran.

Before he could get very far, his body was pushed roughly to the ground. After he hit the floor, his small frame slid a few inches further, his vision swirling. With a quiet whimper, he lifted his torso off the floor, looking for the source of his unbalance. Mouth becoming dry, he watched as a large man all but crawled dangerously over to him.

Wild black hair brushed the wide expansion of shoulders. The man's face was strong and sharp featured and the crystal clear blue eyes struck fear within Harry. Tearing his gaze away from the predatory look the man graced him with; he stared at the muscular frame and the long, dirty fingernails. "What do we have here?" Harry flinched at the voice. It carried such power, such intimidation and strength… and it was all but a deep purr.

Harry, still using his hands as a brace to keep himself up, leaned backward as the man thrust his face in his. His body was covered completely by the man's large frame. The body above him crouched, not touching him just yet, but poised as if a curious wolf came to inspect something suspicious and being smart enough to keep on his toes.

Harry swallowed, inching further away as the man leaned in closer. He eyed the strong jaw covered in a prickly goatee. Teeth bared into a leer, showing off sharp canines.

A werewolf.

Stiffening, Harry attempted to push himself away from the man. "Nah, ah, pretty," the voice purred. "You're not going _anywhere_." The man's nostrils flared as he smelt Harry, a pleased growl rumbling in his chest.

Harry watched Death Eaters rush past him, running out of the castle… Snape was getting away. That _coward…_ Bright green eyes snapped back to icy blue. "What is your name?" It wasn't so much as a question, but an order. Blue eyes flashed up to his forehead, widening in recognition.

Harry didn't give the werewolf time to comment, for he gave a roar, thrusting his wand in the man's eye. The werewolf howled, rearing off Harry for just a moment. But that moment was all Harry needed. Scrambling out from underneath the large body, Harry pushed himself forward, continuing on his way after Snape. Behind him, he could hear the werewolf snarling, running after him.

Merlin. Could he out run a werewolf?

Nope, he didn't think so. Of course… the arms that encircled him weren't as muscular as the man's and the chest wasn't rock solid. "Harry," it was Remus.

"Stay back, Greyback." Harry was faced away from Snape's retreating back and toward the werewolf he just found out was the notorious Greyback.

The werewolf was crouched, his eyes on both the wand pointed in his direction and Harry. "Lupin," Greyback grinned, his canine ripping a cut in his bottom lip. "The docile mutt." Harry gasped as Remus' arm cut off his air from the harsh grasp.

"Stay away from him, he's _my_ cub."

Greyback blinked and then tipped back his head, giving a barking laugh. Remus tensed. Harry tensed. Half his mind was on Dumbledore and the revenge on Snape, but a more dominant part of him wanted his attention on this man…this werewolf in front of him. His heart gave an odd tightening as he stared at the equally handsome and horrible looking man. Greyback wasn't exactly handsome, but he had that aura about him…

"_Your _cub? Yours, Lupin?" Greyback gave a leer, loosing his amusement. "You don't have a pack and he isn't _yours_. You can barely take care of yourself, let alone another." He took an advancing step forward, causing Remus to hold tighter and thrust his wand out to Greyback. "You see, Lupin, he smells _good_. More than appealing…the only thing that's missing is my scent on him."

*~*

**A/N:** This was adopted from Dark Cyan Star and I will be continuing from here on out. I just put this up here so I haven't yet worked out what's going to happen, so bear with me and hopefully I'll be updating soon.

Any advice on what you want to happen?


	2. Dans Son Bras, J'ai Couru

**A/n: Lycanthropy poisoning**: Is simply what Bill Weasley got in HBP. (Except, in my story, it's a little more…pronounced) Craving meat, shorter temper, perhaps claws and or canines, restlessness on the full moon…

**Summary**: Harry gets lycanthropy poisoning in the summer after his fifth year, but he's not yet fully werewolf. When Draco helps the Death Eaters in Hogwarts- Greyback sets his sights on an emotional exhausted Harry. And so the battle of gaining possession of his mate begins. Greyback will have to get through a protective Lupin to get his mate. And it doesn't help matters that Harry and Lupin are hiding away from the rest of the wizarding world. After Dumbledore's death, the wizarding world is in an uproar. Will Harry decide to save the world that was eager to dismiss him because of his werewolf blood? Or will he take the easy road and allow Greyback to protect him on Voldemort's side?

*~*

**Lycanthropy Fever**

**Dyly**

**Chapter 2**

**Dans Son Bras, J'ai Couru**

*~*

Remus snarled in anger, and for a moment he was unrecognisable to Harry. His lips were pulled back and his eyes feral in a look that was completely out of place on the usually docile face.

Ahead of them, Greyback crouched but his face was painted in amusement.

"Go on then Lupin, use your precious _magic _to try and beat me. That's how you tried to hide before, wasn't it? In that pathetic hovel you called a home. Fat lot of good that did you, you couldn't protect the boy then and you can't protect him now."

Twisting his body, Remus flung Harry out behind him and in one fluid motion jabbed his wand forward. The bludgeoning hex blasted Greyback through the air, catching him unaware.

Something in Harry twisted at the howl of pain that rendered the air afterwards. The sight of Fenrir's anguished face tore at him, and as his teeth elongated once more, he raised his head into the air and howled along with him.

The sound was cut off abruptly as Remus grabbed at his arm and dragged him backwards. Harry stumbled awkwardly over the uneven ground as he struggled to find his balance again, and in the process he lost sight of Fenrir. In the distance the Forbidden Forest loomed out of the darkness, as ominous and forbidding as ever. As Remus dragged him across the threshold and into the depths of the forest, Harry turned around to stare back at the castle.

In the light pouring from the open doors and windows, Harry could make out the flared robes of the aurors as they ran out to duel with the death eaters. As more and more joined the fight, the death eaters were pushed back until most twisted to run for the edge of the anti-apparition wards. Turning sharply, Remus dragged him along the edge of the forest, just under the shade of the trees. Harry didn't ask what he was looking for and why they didn't just run into the forest, but followed along wordlessly.

It was almost pitch black now, but strangely Harry could make out his surroundings almost as easily as in the daylight. For the moment his senses were stronger than they'd been all year as his control slipped. His heightened senses weren't easy to get used to though, so when Remus stopped suddenly, Harry ran right into him. Harry opened his mouth to ask him why he'd stopped, but Remus quickly covered it with one of his callused palms and frowned at him to be quiet.

Furrowing his brows in confusion, he turned his head in the direction Remus was staring at. The bright balls of light bobbing in the distance prickled at his eyes, sending white patches dancing across his vision at the sudden change from darkness. Pricking his ears, he could hear the footfalls of aurors running towards them. Their wands were lit as they shouted to each other and gestured to the tree line.

"They were heading this way when I last saw them."

"All of you, quickly, spread out in a line. I don't want them getting away."

Harry chocked in shock when he realised that they were looking for them. Now that Dumbledore was dead, there was no one to protect him from the wrath of the wizarding public. He had no doubt that Fudge had ordered for them to be arrested. He probably wanted to flag waning public support by giving them what they wanted, a dangerous, werewolf boy-who-lived locked up in Azkaban.

Remus gripped his arm tightly and twisting around they ran into the forest. For the first time since being bitten, Harry allowed his werewolf senses to fully spring forth. His eyes sharpened and trees and branches sharpened into focus in the dark. Each long stride took him further, his muscles springing him effortlessly across the forest floor. Behind him, he could hear the aurors struggle to keep up. Spells flared through the undergrowth and he drove forward faster than ever. Low-hanging branches and fallen logs hindered his path, but he somehow missed them all, his faster reflexes carrying him past them easily. And despite everything, he was as silent as the forest itself, his footsteps light and airy.

It was only further in, when peering around him, that he realised he was running alone. Twisting his head as much as he could, he tried to find Remus in the forest around him. But he can't see anything, and neither could he smell him. In this lapse of concentration, he stumbled over a branch and went sprawling across the leafy floor. Pushing himself up shakily, he twisted around anxiously. But the forest immediately surrounding him was quiet and Harry knew that he'd been split up from the other man.

The crunch of splitting branches behind him cut through the quietness and Harry staggered to his feet. Stumbling forward, he forced himself to run again. But he was growing tired rapidly; the lycanthropy poisoning only gave him strong werewolf tendencies, not turned him into one and his stamina was waning. Still the prospect of being caught by the aurors behind him spurred him onwards and he ran until his muscles burned and ached.

Sliding down a slope, he tripped again and went rolling down the bank. He landed in a messy heap at the bottom, but for the life of him, he couldn't find the energy he needed to get up again. He was mentally and physically exhausted and his legs and thighs ached and cramped. As he lay there, he could hear the crunch of leaves at the top of the embankment. One of the aurors must have broken rank because he was closer than the others, who were still a bit further back.

Harry reached down and scrambled for his wand; he wouldn't go down without a fight. He screamed in shock when a large, muscled body landed above him and his head jerked backwards into the hard ground with a resounding thud. Framed in the moonlight, Harry could make out the hard figure of Fenrir Greyback crouched above him, his legs on either side of his torso and his face perilously close to his own.

He blanched at the sight; this time there was no Remus to save him and the only alternative, the aurors chasing after them. He supposed that Greyback would only too eagerly capture him and hand him over to Voldemort. But, maybe whatever tortures Voldemort would come up with would only serve as his penance for the horrible act he'd committed to Ginny.

Past the trees lining the embankment they could hear the line of aurors crashing noisily through the undergrowth. Leaning back, Fenrir stood straighter and held out a hand for Harry to take, in an altogether unexpected move. From this angle, he could study the older man much more clearly. One of his eyes was slightly red-rimmed and his torso was burgeoning flair of red and purple, but he was still as handsome to Harry's eyes as when he saw him by the castle.

And for some reason, despite everything he'd heard of the man, he wasn't afraid. The werewolf side of him, the part now more dominant following his run through the forest, wanted to reach out to him. The feeling bubbled in his chest, urging him to get closer. He looked into the amber eyes that stared at him, and taking the chance, he placed his faith in him. Reaching out he grabbed the hand offered to him. Fenrir grunted in satisfaction at this response. His biceps bunched and coiled as he swung Harry up off the floor and onto his back. Harry grabbed at his broad shoulders and wrapped his legs around his waist tightly as Fenrir took off into forest again.

A cacophony of sound rose up behind them as the aurors noticed their departure, but Fenrir expertly dodged their wildly flung spells and leapt through the air raggedly. There was an unexpected grace and elegance to him, Harry realised, as Fenrir ran without once jolting him.

As they entered deeper into the forest, they approached another embankment. Running smoothly to the edge, Fenrir grunted to Harry and he tightened his hold on the werewolf in response. Crouching down as he approached the lip, Fenrir leapt off the edge and high into the air. Mid-arc, he changed fluidly into his werewolf form. Harry squeezed his eyes shut as his grip faltered on the rapidly changing mass underneath him. With a grunt, the large back of Fenrir's werewolf form rammed into him and Harry automatically clenched his fists into the thick fur.

Fenrir's gait was longer now, even more fluid. And Harry knew then that no amount of wizarding magic could catch them now. Slowly his eyes slipped shut, as the events of the day rushed back to him. The shifting bones in Fenrir's back rubbed against him, soothing his sore muscles. He drifted slowly into unconsciousness, trusting that Fenrir would take care of him.

~FGxHP~

The first thing Harry felt when he regained consciousness was a deep seated ache in his bones. He groaned as he shifted on the surprisingly springy ground and batted away whatever was poking him in the neck. But it was persistent and as Harry opened his eyes to find out what it was, a wet, pink tongue swiped his face leaving a messy trail behind it. Harry scrunched his face in disgust and wiped roughly at his cheek with the back of his sleeve. Looking up Harry saw the large muzzle of a silver wolf poke at his face again. A few small licks later and it nudged at his side and urged him onto his feet.

Sitting up, Harry noticed that he was lying on a bed of leaves and moss. They were positioned under a few large trees that rose up into the sky for further than even Harry's enhanced senses could see. Apart from a residing ache in his limbs and the general waft of saliva about him, Harry felt fine. The wolf yipped at him before stepping back and stretching languidly. As Harry stood up, the wolf transformed smoothly into its human form. Standing before him was Fenrir in all his naked glory. Harry quickly jammed his eyes shut and turned the other way in what he hoped was a casual manner. His red cheeks were probably a giveaway though, and he could hear Fenrir's deep chuckle from behind him.

"Come on then cub, move it, you can't wait there all day."

Harry turned around hesitantly and Fenrir snorted. Somehow though, he had managed to procure a pair of navy slacks that had been shorn off at the knees. Rolling his shoulders, Fenrir set off through the trees to where a beaten path ran ahead to their right. Harry quickly jogged to catch up with him and joined him on the path.

They walked in silence for a while, though it was neither awkward nor tense. In fact it was a sort of companionable silence that Harry was hesitant to break despite the multitude of questions he desperately wanted to ask. Eventually though Fenrir grew tired of the not-so-subtle side-long looks Harry was giving him and grunted his displeasure.

"Stop looking at me like that, it' giving me the heebie-jeebies. Just ask your bloody questions will you?"

Harry wasn't phased by the gruff tone of voice and just gave him a measured look as he pondered which question ask first.

"It was one of your wolves wasn't it? The one who bit me."

Fenrir grunted and Harry took that to mean yes.

"Remus told me that you had them watching his shack."

"Me and Remus have a long-standing relationship. I like to keep a close eye on him, god knows, that mutt is a shame to the entire werewolf community."

"And you're not?" In hindsight, this was probably a question that was likely to anger Fenrir, and despite his tolerant nature thus far, Harry didn't doubt that what he'd heard about the brutal and violent man had some basis in truth. Fenrir, however, just chuckled darkly.

"Whatever you might have heard cub, I do only what's best for my kind."

"Remus also told me that you were the one who bit him when he was a boy."

"I did many things during that time that I'm not proud of. But if Remus had just joined my pack like he was supposed to, instead of running off to the wizards, he might not be so bitter nowadays."

Harry bit his lip in contemplation. It was a different thing entirely to hear from the man himself that he really did once bite innocent children, but Harry was inclined to read between the lines and trust that Fenrir didn't do that anymore.

"Did you ask him to do it?"

"Do what?"

"Bite me. Infect me."

"No."

Harry frowned at that.

"It was an accident. That wolf was young, barely a cub himself. No one asked him to do anything but watch and be back-up. But like any young cub, he had ideas above his station."

"I thought that maybe…maybe Voldemort had asked you to have me bitten."

"It probably has worked in his favour in some way, but he never asked me to turn you. If he had, I would have turned you myself."

"Why? Are you his call-boy or something?"

Fenrir grumbled lowly at the insinuation but didn't break his stride. Apart from the small frown now gracing his face, he didn't respond to the question.

"Why do you do it? Why work for Voldemort of all people? He's a monster, a psychopath. Why would you ally yourself with him?"

"You've had lycanthropy poisoning for what, a year?"

Harry nodded slowly, not really understanding where Fenrir was taking this.

"But you hid it, you're not even a real werewolf and you hid yourself from everyone. Can't you see what's wrong with that? Why should have to hide yourself from them, why must you be ashamed of what you are?"

"You don't understand."

"Don't I?"

"No…no" Harry shook his head and frowned, "you don't get it. I'm the boy-who-lived. I have to protect them, protect everyone, from Voldemort, from the dark. I can't do that if I'm a werewolf, not with the werewolves all supporting _him. _I can't even control myself properly. Merlin, you didn't see it. Ginny…I just lashed out at her. I couldn't stop myself, and now she's in the hospital wing…because of _me_."

"Because you were trying to suppress it for so long. You can't deny who you are cub."

"I can't defend them like this…"

Fenrir interrupted his sentence before he could finish.

"Why should you? Since when was it your duty to protect them? Bloody hell, they can defend themselves if they want to, it's not up to you. Pssh, humans. You're just a cub, it's the alphas duty to protect their pack. What was your Dumbledore doing all this time? Twiddling his thumbs and leaving all the real work to you?"

"No, he did help. He did loads, loads of stuff you would understand. But I'm the only one who can kill him, who can actually finish him off."

Fenrir snorted in disbelief.

"Do you want to know why I work for Voldemort?"

Harry stared up at him, eager for an answer.

"Because he isn't afraid. Call it arrogance, call it stupidity, call it what you like. When he looks at me or the other wolves he isn't afraid. He treats us like _equals_. That's all I want for us werewolves, to be treated like equal citizens. As soon as those wizards found out you had lycanthropy poisoning, what did they do? They screamed blue murder. One day they were all over you, calling you their saviour and their hero. The next they hate your guts. Fuck, they even had aurors out to arrest you and do Merlin knows what to you. Is that how you want to live your life, like some sort of second-rate scum to those assholes?"

"But you believe Voldemort? You believe that he'll give you whatever he's promised you?"

"I don't know cub. But it's the only chance we've got. There's no hope left with the wizards, but as long as we're still useful to Voldemort, he'll leave us alone. He promised to give us the forbidden forest. I don't know how much of that promise he'll keep but all I ask is that we're left alone so that the wolf packs can live in peace out in the wilderness like we used to."

"In the wilderness?"

"Yeah. When I was a cub, we lived on our own in the forest somewhere south of here. We supported ourselves, built our own lives out in the nature. We made our own cottages to live in and the whole pack just lived together like a big community. It's how all the werewolf packs have lived since before time."

"What happened?"

"Wizards." Fenrir spat, with venom in his voice.

"Didn't like us out there, though we never did anything to them. Drove us out, until everyone separated and the packs were all split up. That was when the werewolf numbers depleted the most. The Great Cull, they called it."

Fenrir's face was twisted in anger, and Harry suspected that he'd lost friends and relatives and pack members to the great cull. And he understood maybe just a little bit more, why he was the way he was. Gently reaching out, he placed a hand on Fenrir's thick forearm. Fenrir looked down at him quizzically.

"I'm sorry."

Fenrir didn't say anything but he saw the sincerity in Harry's eyes and nodded. The conversation ended there and they carried on walking in silence. Harry's werewolf side mewled in satisfaction at the soft contact between them as they walked side by side, and Harry suspected there was a great many things the world didn't know about Fenrir Greyback.

~FGxHP~

**A/N:** I know a lot of you are angry I haven't updated in _ages_, but to be fair I did have important exams to deal with. But fear not, I won't be abandoning this story ever. And thank you for all your wonderful support and help, you've been great. And yes, the chapter titles will be in French. I'm using an online translator because my French is rubbish, but that maybe that's why the titles aren't grammatically correct. Just go with it…(though if any you know French and can help me out with it, let me know!)

**Job Vacancy:** I'm looking for a team of people to help me. I don't need a beta in the traditional sense of the word, I'm good with spelling and grammar and what not. What I need is a sort of preview team. That is a group of willing and wonderful people who would be happy to pre-read any new chapters and help me with story lines and content and flow etc. Basically people I can bounce ideas off and who will help me craft out the rest of this fic. What I DON'T need is someone who just wants new chapters straight to their inbox before everyone else.

So, if you're interested leave me a review with the words "application" at the top or underneath your review, in caps lock, and then make sure I can contact you somehow. I'll probably email all of you so that I can get into direct correspondence with you and then we'll go from there.

Anywho, I hope this was worth the wait. Drop me a line and tell me what you think! Don't be a stranger!


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